Various devices exist for carbonating liquids to prepared carbonated beverages. With known devices, the liquid to be carbonated is placed into a bottle and the bottle is loaded into a carbonating machine. A seal member is adapted to engage and seal closed the neck of the bottle, while a tube terminating in a gas injecting nozzle extends through the seal member and down into the bottle for injecting carbon dioxide gas into the liquid contained in the bottle. The upper end of the gas tube is connected to a fixed or removable gas cylinder via a valve which is operable to supply gas to the injection nozzle. In order to limit the maximum pressure within the bottle an exhaust passage is provided through the seal member and communicates with atmosphere through a relief valve which is configured to open when the maximum pressure is exceeded.
While existing devices are generally suitable for what is regarded as ordinary performance, there is room for improvement in terms of flexibility, ease of use and the like. In particular, known devices may only be utilized to produce a carbonated beverage within the bottle, which is then capped, for later consumption. Moreover, existing devices are often cumbersome to configure and operate, especially when replacing the carbon dioxide gas cylinder.